Restaurants

1317 Connecticut Avenue, NW

From a press release:

Starting Monday February 11th, DGS Delicatessen will debut a bar menu of “noshes” from Chef Barry Koslow and inventive cocktails from General Manager and Beverage Director Brian Zipin. Zipin and Koslow have worked closely to incorporate elements of traditional Jewish cooking into a playful and modern interpretation of comfort food bar bites. In a riff on the classic bagels and lox, Chef Koslow is now offering a Smoked Salmon Tartare with Everything Aioli and Bagel Crunchies, ideal for sharing or as a pre-dinner snack. Koslow has also taken the Jewish comfort staple, the Reuben, and created a Grilled Tongue Reuben Slider, which he views as a gateway for less adventurous eaters to have a taste of offal. In line with the rest of the menu, the ingredients are sustainably sourced, and the meat, fish and pickles are all brined, cured, and smoked in-house.

Zipin has curated a selection of beers, wines by the glass, and cocktails that complement the bold flavors of Chef Koslow’s food. The interplay between old and new extends to the beverage menu with an ode to the Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky: the Meyer Lansky Sour is made with Small’s Gin, Meyer lemon juice and Regan’s orange bitters. Among the selection of craft beers, Tsingtao may look to be an anomaly at first glance. However, Zipin selected it not only because it’s a crisp, light beer that complements the Pastrami Chili and Cheese Fries well, but also as a nod to the four co-owners’ love of Chinese food–their chosen celebratory spot being Peking Gourmet in Falls Church.

The Happy Hour Bar Menu will be available at the bar between 5pm and 7pm Monday through Friday.

See the menus after the jump. (more…)

1990 M Street, NW

This edition of PoPville Preview was written by Abbey Becker. Abbey lives near Eastern Market.

If you’re a workday lunch-goer near Dupont Circle or Farragut, you’ve got a new line you can wait in starting today: TakEatEasy opens at 1990 M Street, NW in the former China Cafe space. Owners (and brothers) Manuel and Juan Olivera, along with partners Jorge Mendez and Daniel Aquino, may sound familiar. The brothers were co-founders of the still-popular Fast Gourmet, which makes some of the city’s best sandwiches well into the early-morning hours near U Street. (To be clear, though, the brothers sold their shares of Fast Gourmet and are not technically affiliated with their old shop anymore.)

Expect TakEatEasy to fall somewhere in between fast-casual (think Chipotle and SweetGreen) and a sit-down, full-service restaurant. The restaurant officially seats 49, though there seems to be standing room as well. About 13 or 14 stools line the lacquered bar, which serves everything from beer on tap or in bottles to wine to specialty cocktails.

The walls are covered in blown up photos with a Latin flair, and some look almost holographic. Their signature seems to be a latticework pattern, which is printed on their walls, tables, and the overhang by the semi-open kitchen. It’s not relaxing, exactly, but it’s energetic, a perfect setting for hectic weekday lunchtime hours and late-night visits when your first priority is probably not a quiet dinner.

Continues after the jump. (more…)